III.] THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 



81 



' ranee against mice. We all know, what a bustle 

 there is to get in early peas. If they were sown 

 in the fall, they would start up the moment the frost 

 li were out of the ground, and would be ten days 

 ' earlier in bearing, in spite of every effort made by 

 i the spring-sowers to make their peas overtake 

 , them. Upon a spot, where I saved peas for seed, 

 ' last year, some that was left, in a lock of haulm, 

 ] at the harvesting, and that lay upon the dry ground, 

 f till the land was ploughed late in November, came 

 up, in tbe spring, the moment the frost was out of 

 the ground, and they were in bloom full fifteen days 

 earlier than those, sown in the same field as early 

 as possible in the spring. Doubtless, they would 

 have borne peas fifteen days sooner ; but there 

 were but a very few of them, and those standing 

 straggling about ; and I was obliged to plough up 

 the ground where they were growing. In some 

 cases it would be a good way, to cover the sown 

 ground with litter^ or with leaves of trees, as soon 

 , as the frost has fairly set in ; but, not before ; for, 

 I if you do it before, the seed may vegetate, and then 

 may be killed by the frost. One object of this fall- 

 sowing, is, to get the work done ready for spring ; 

 for, at that season, you have so many things to 

 do at once! Besides, you cannot sow the instant 

 , the frost breaks up ; for the ground is wet and 

 j clammy, unfit to be dug or touched or trodden 

 j upon. So that here are ten days lost. But, the 

 se*id, which has lain in the ground all the winter, 

 is ready to start the moment the earth is clear of 

 th» winter frost, and it is up by the time you can 

 get other seed into the ground in a good state. Fall- 

 ' sowing of seeds to come wp in the spring is not 

 pn^^ctised in England, though they there are always 

 c^irous to get their things early. The reason is, 



